3 Methods for Silver soldering mild steel
-Propane with liquid flux.
-MAP with tinning flux.
-Oxy-Acetylene with tinning flux
Material: 1" x .250" Cold Rolled Steel
Guess which process I like the best?
If you'd like to see a more detailed follow up video, let me know in the comments!
Thanks!
This was very instructive on the quality of the heat transfer of the three different gases used. Thank you.
Thanks for the video. Very helpful.
Great video! Thanks!
Thank you for the video
Great instruction. This project gave me the most trouble. Now I can work at it and become more confident. I have a couple of vent ribs I have been putting off and hopefully I can get them done now. Thanks!
That's great! Glad I could pass on some info. I'll have a short follow up to give a little more detail on soldering with a flame, and how solder flows in a day or so.
Thank you very instructive. Two questions: what size solder wire are u using and how strong is it when soldering steel bars as you did? Thank you much
When low temperature soft solders (lead-tin) changed to using tin plus silver (and copper), it was called silver solder. A serious mistake, as a hard solder of the same name, similar to brazing (i.e., brass and related alloys), already exists. It requires a high temperature, red heat, to melt the alloy joining the two parts. The two processes have very different temperature requirements and flux types, and have very different strengths. Seriously, folks, don't confuse the two types.
Found out the frustrating and expensive way what the difference between "silver bearing solder", and "silver solder" 45 / 56 is.
Awesomeness
Awesome video Al, I appreciate you sharing. Liked and subbed. I was wondering if you might be able to tell me just what flux and wire/stick I need for standard steel. I'm trying to fix a WW2 shotgun heat shield, my two pieces combined add up to only 1/8". I have map gas torch but there are so many types of solder and flux I am a bit bewildered as to which one is best. The connection needs to be as strong as I can make it without needing oxygen/acetylene.
Reading the comments, it appears that many do not know or realize that the difference between soldering and brazing is temperature, not alloy used. What most call silver soldering is actually brazing as it is a process that happens above 840 degrees F. Although brazing sounds like it was derived from the word brass, it has absolutely nothing to do with brass at all. Low temp soldering like shown has been used in the sheet metal industry many decades and is still predominantly used when joining heat treated parts that must be kept below a minimum tempering temperature.
Interesting, many thanks.
Very helpful video 👍🏻 What silver soldier are you using? I can’t get mine to flow that easy.
Dude, you need a drink !....lol Thanks fir the video!
As a pipe fitter and silver soldering fittings on steel tube I can tell you this this is Not silver soldering and your method really has much to be desired this should have been called soldering with silver bearing solder a lead free solder used on copper water pipes
Nice but nobody (I've watched a few) ever tests it, so I now assume it doesn't have any strength. Nice though!
Most paint thinner grade acetone will leave a residue on the metal. I also found that you can mix it with liquid flux to get a stronger acid.
You are correct. Most solvents will leave a residue. In my experience, If you have cleaned the dirt and oil properly the flux will take care of the rest.
Hello Al I am not seeing you-tube videos for brazing steel to steel. Most everything on You Tube is silver solder. My intention is to braze similar steel to steel and create a brazed lap joint. If possible, what type of rod would one use? Thank's for the vid!
I would try a flux coated bronze brazing rod.
In the second example, did you use actual MAPP or Mapp/Pro gas? MAPP isn't made anymore.
HI that is cool!! Is that a steel table you are using? WHat size are the blocks ? they are huge -thank you
That is a big custom steel table/h-frame press. Those are 4.5" x 9" fire bricks.
@@zomaija thank you Al!
Do you think that the steel bars you are using as weights are sinking too much of the heat?
Not at all. Yes they will sink some heat, but that's why I use oxy/acy , preheat, and then focus around the joint itself. It would be similar to rejoining shotgun barrels. There are many ways to solder. I like to leave as little as possible for cleanup.
should you not bring the steel to cherry red before applying silver solder ? and can I use 35% 65% butane propane torch for this ? thanks in advance
The metal needs to get to just above the melting point of the solder so the flux wets and capillary action wicks the solder in. Brazing requires you to get the part cherry red which is an altogether different animal.
@@zomaija So what is this process called ? How do you know you reached the right temperature ? thx in advance
@@HalfLife2Beta This process is soldering. If you are using a paste flux with solder in the flux, as soon as it wets and gets shiney, you are at the right temperature. You can see in the video that I slowly heat the material around the joint, frequently touching the solder to the metal. When the solder flows, you are at the right temp. Hope that helps!
how strong is the joint & which is the strongest?
The joint is fairly strong when using silver solder. The propane soldered joint has the most potential to fail, as the base metal may not get hot enough for full wetting throughout the joint.
Hello Al. Great video! Would have been even better if you had done a stress test on each piece by putting in a vise and bending at the joint. 😀 Years ago, I bought some "Silvaloy 850" silver solder in bulk. It is apparently no longer manufactured. I called Engelhard Corp. / Wolverine Joining Technologies / Silvaloy but got no satisfactory answer about it's composition. They said it was replaced by "Z85M", which is 85% Silver and 15% Manganese, with a flow point of 1780F and a 1900F brazing temp. I purchased some 2200F flux (Weldcote Metals Anti-Borax Brazing Flux) to use with this solder, but have not yet tried it. Any tips on the use of this or similar combination of products? Thanks again.
Trying to do the same project for a online class. I'm having a hard time getting it to flow into the attachment surfaces. I have tried a few different methods with no luck. It will bead up on the surface but will not flow into th crack. I am at a loss.
You probably have the wrong flux.
Is that plain old 95/5 plumbing solder you're using?!?!?! And the flux, is it some kind of special flux or the same stuff you use to solder copper fittings?!?!?!
That is the solder provided by MGS, so I'm not sure what the exact composition is. The flux is a Johnson pure tin solder. If you watch Mark Novak's channel, he uses plumbers paste with 50/50. Pure silver solder takes so much heat, it would cause other issues. I just prefer lead free.
@@zomaija 10/4 Got it!!!
They didn't supply me with the solder, I bought my own.
So I have MAP, propane, and oxyacetylene. It looks like the oxy was MUCH easier. On thinner steel, like sheet, I would think map would be best? What would you suggest? As for the solder itself, was that standard silver non-fluxed for piping and such?
I prefer O/A as it lets me control where the heat goes and it's fast. It's all about the rate of heat transfer. I run a Meco N Midget torch with a #0 or #00 for thin sheet and small parts. I like MAP for plumbing and preheating larger parts, but it's hard to pin point the heat without over heating the rest of the part. As far as solder, a decent lead free silver bearing solder is good for most applications. I know some people that still use 50/50 for ribs and sights. If you need a tougher joint, use a tougher solder. Thanks for watching!
@@zomaija Thanks for the kickass response! 😁
Commentary would have made it a lot better.
When I was trying do the same , something exploded after long heating, it scared me to death. What is it ? doesn't feel like it was metal
Wow, i'm not sure. Moisture, oil and dirt, crappy metal, not the right flux or solder. What type of torch were you using?
My bet is the brick. Are you sure it was *FIRE BRICK*? If you're sure it was then it probably absorbed some moisture. Wakodahatchee Chris
That is not Silver Solder
yes it is.
@@ganjalfcreamcorn8438 Lead free solder is not silver solder, silver solder has a min. 66% silver and contains 3 ingredients, silver, copper and zinc.
@@duanedodson1 There is silver in the solder.